Iran sets date for nuclear talks

Iran’s top nuclear negotiator and the European Union’s foreign policy chief are to meet this week in an effort to explore whether there’s room to resume negotiations over Tehran’s disputed nuclear programme.

The announcement came hours after the ministry said the meeting between Ali Larijani and the EU’s Javier Solana had been postponed. It is not clear why the talks were rescheduled.

“Regarding the last agreements between Mr Larijani and Mr Solana. Thursday, May 31 is announced as the time of the talks,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said in a statement.

But the meeting location would be “decided in further consultations,” according to the statement.

EU officials have suggested that Madrid was a possible location.

On Friday, senior European officials met with a ranking Iranian envoy in Brussels, Belgium to prepare for the Larijani-Solana talks.

Officials suggested the meeting was positive in demonstrating a joint effort to try to return to negotiations over Iran’s enrichment program.

Iran and the West are on a stand off over Tehran’s controversial nuclear programme. Iran’s nuclear defiance – most recently documented in a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency that was sent to the UN Security Council - has set the stage for further sanctions against Tehran.

The Security Council has demanded Iran suspend uranium enrichment, which can produce both reactor fuel and – at higher levels – weapons-grade material.

The Security Council first imposed sanctions on Iran on December 23 for rejecting its demands, then modestly increased them in March.

The US and allies contend Iran is secretly aiming to develop nuclear weapons. But Iran insists its nuclear programme seeks only to develop energy.